Zhen Yuanzi, accused in front of all the great powers, not only felt enraged but also utterly disgraced.
However, he would not act rashly, allowing the other party to succeed in their scheme to disrupt the situation.
“You accuse me without cause, You Kan. Are you not trying to divert suspicion? You must be uneasy in your heart, so you falsely accuse me to distract from your own issues.”
You Kan coldly retorted, “I have evidence, and I do not speak without proof. Earth God, come forth!”
With that, he gestured, and a short, frightened Earth God appeared before the assembled great powers.
Zhen Yuanzi was taken aback, bewildered.
You Kan said, “This Earth God is of the Li Yuan in the barren lands of the southwest. Tell us what you witnessed that day. Rest assured, all the great powers here will ensure justice, and with His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor of the demon race present, no one can harm you.”
The Earth God glanced fearfully at Zhen Yuanzi upon hearing this.
Zhen Yuanzi frowned, “I recall you were born from a spirit formed from ore in the barren Li Yuan. Back then, I, in consideration of your difficult cultivation and your Golden Immortal realm, enfeoffed you as the Earth God of a hundred thousand li in that region.
Speak whatever you saw. Do not hold back your words simply because it involves me.”
Hearing this, the Earth God immediately touched his head to the ground and said, “I implore His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor to judge. That day, I sensed the fluctuation of the Great Dao within my jurisdiction and, out of curiosity, I cautiously sent a clone to investigate.
To my surprise, I saw Grand Immortal Zhen Yuan capture a Great Sage of the demon race, Li Tian, from the nearby demon territories and hand him over to a Great Witch of the Wu tribe. After a secret transmission of a few words, he left the barren Li Yuan.
I was terrified, but as I am a subordinate under Grand Immortal Zhen Yuan, I dared not speak of it, keeping it to myself. Today, I reveal it.
The demon sage Li Tian was captured by Grand Immortal Zhen Yuan himself, using the great divine ability of ‘Sleeve in Universe.’ I saw it clearly, without any error!”
Zhen Yuanzi’s face flushed with anger, and he roared, “Nonsense! When have I ever laid a hand on a demon sage of the demon race? Have you been deceived by You Kan, or are you being blackmailed?
Speak freely, and I will ensure your safety!”
The crowd in the grand hall involuntarily believed him by a third, and those on the high platform found the situation somewhat troublesome.
Seeing that he had gained control of the situation, You Kan quickly bowed to Tongtian, Zhunti, and Jieyin. “Venerable Sages, I believe only the three of you here are truly impartial and unquestionable. I request that you investigate whether this Earth God is lying by examining his primordial spirit and memories to see if his words are true.”
Zhunti and Jieyin looked troubled and glanced towards the head of the hall.
Tongtian raised an eyebrow. This was an attempt to leverage their influence as Sages.
Just as he was about to speak, a clear, calm, and indifferent voice rang out.
“There is no need.”
You Kan was stunned, and Zhen Yuanzi also looked towards the speaker on the high platform.
The one who spoke was Qing Ling, who had been observing the scene.
“What does the Ancestor of the Demons mean? Even if you intend to show favoritism to Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuan, you should at least verify whether this Earth God is speaking the truth?” You Kan said unhurriedly.
Qing Ling took a step forward, sneered, and glanced at the Earth God.
It was merely a casual glance, but it startled You Kan, who quickly reached out to shield the Earth God.
However, he was ultimately too late. The Earth God writhed, and in an instant, transformed into a vibrant, blood-like, demonic Luo Sheng flower.
Qing Ling said indifferently, “Since he was misled, so be it. It is a pity that he became involved in the conflict of supreme beings. Dare to slander the supreme and court death.”
A chill ran down the spines of everyone present. While a Golden Immortal was insignificant, he was, after all, one who touched the Great Dao. To be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye like this.
The gazes of everyone towards Qing Ling changed, and they dared not meet his eyes. The life and death of the Luo Sheng, turned to dust with a glance – truly, seeing was believing!
You Kan’s expression turned grim. “Does the Ancestor of the Demons so fiercely favor Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuan that he disregards the tragic death of a demon sage of our race?”
Taiyi roared, “Insolence! How dare you speak disrespectfully to our Ancestor of the Demons?”
You Kan’s expression shifted. The undefeated reputation of Eastern Emperor Taiyi did indeed make him wary.
Qing Ling smiled faintly and said, “Do you wish to keep a misled, insignificant Earth God to continue slandering Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuan? There are countless secret techniques in the world, and who can investigate them all?
No matter how eloquently you speak, you cannot change the fact that you used the life of our Great Sage to exchange for treasures from the Wu tribe.”
“Does the Ancestor of the Demons have any evidence?” You Kan asked. “Please do not slander me casually, Ancestor of the Demons.”
Qing Ling smiled and said, “Do all of you know what place this Myriad Stars Palace is?”
Below, the White Ze Demon God, being astute, replied, “The Myriad Stars Palace is a formation eye used by our demon race to control the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Great Array.”
Qing Ling looked coldly at You Kan. “Indeed. Fellow Daoist You Kan, you are very clever and calculative, and you came prepared. However, you overlooked one point: you underestimated our demon race’s Zhou Tian Xing Chen Great Array!”
You Kan’s expression was inscrutable. “What does this have to do with the great array?”
Di Jun’s face was extremely cold. “The Zhou Tian Xing Chen Great Array has three hundred and sixty-five main stars, with three hundred and sixty-five Star Lords, all of whom are our demon sages.
A wisp of their innate primordial spirit is housed within the stars of the array. As long as the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Great Array is not broken, even if they perish, they can be forcibly revived through the power of the star array!”
Upon hearing this, all the great powers were filled with envy and admiration. Did this not mean that as long as the demon race was not destroyed, these demon sages would be immortal and deathless?
You Kan’s expression changed upon hearing this, but he remained composed. “And so what?”
Di Jun, seeing that the conversation had finally returned to the main topic, said slowly, “After the demon sage Li Tian was revived, his memory indeed indicated that Grand Immortal Zhen Yuan had captured him.”
Zhen Yuanzi’s face changed.
Di Jun smiled at him. “Great Immortal, there is no need to panic.
Although the demon sage Li Tian’s memory is correct, it was not ‘Sleeve in Universe’ that captured him, but your great divine ability, Nine Nether Void, Old Ancestor You Kan!
You Kan, do you have anything more to say?”
The crowd finally understood. It turned out that Old Ancestor You Kan had impersonated Grand Immortal Zhen Yuan, plotted against a demon sage, and sought favor with the Wu tribe in exchange for treasures.
You Kan’s face instantly turned pale. He had calculated everything, believing he had overlooked nothing, but he never expected the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Great Array to be so formidable.
Di Jun said sternly, “Soldiers of the Heavenly Court, apprehend You Kan and imprison him in the Heavenly Prison to await judgment!”
The demon gods and demon sages immediately appeared, standing in an arcane formation. Each held a star banner, summoning the vast starlit sky, controlling starlight, and turning the ground into a prison to trap Old Ancestor You Kan.
You Kan sneered, “Do you expect this mere small star formation to trap this ancestor?”
As his words fell, he reached out and grabbed. The void trembled, and a Nine Nether world appeared. Endless Nether Water essences transformed into Dao soldiers and rushed out of the star prison, attacking those below the great powers in the grand hall.
The rogue cultivators immediately panicked and scattered, fleeing in all directions. The residual power from a supreme being, even a fraction of it, was enough to put them in mortal danger!
Qing Ling said coldly, “A mere insidious villain, how dare you cause havoc in my Heavenly Court! Teleport!”
As his voice faded, he pointed his finger. The starlit sky crisscrossed, and the starry expanse summoned the distant Jian Mu. An immensely powerful teleportation force enveloped Old Ancestor You Kan, along with the Great World of Nine Nether, and they vanished from the grand hall.
The panic in the grand hall naturally subsided.
“Where did he go?”
“Where is Old Ancestor You Kan?”
“He is a supreme being, he can’t have died just like that, right?”
The crowd of bewildered rogue cultivators began to discuss volubly.
Qing Ling cupped his hands towards Di Jun and said, “Your Majesty, this You Kan, would you allow me to suppress him beneath Jian Mu and use him as fertilizer for my flowers?”
Di Jun chuckled and said, “Since the Ancestor of the Demons has spoken, then you shall handle him as you see fit.”
Qing Ling smiled. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Taiyi, standing nearby, looked at him with surprise. He had just been about to bring out the Eastern Emperor Bell to suppress You Kan with thunderous might, but he hadn’t expected the other party to handle it without his assistance.
The great powers present all widened their eyes at this sight.
Old Ancestor You Kan was not an ordinary great power one might encounter on the street; he was a formidable figure renowned throughout the Primordial World. Yet, he was taken down so easily, without so much as a ripple.
This Ancestor of the Demons was perhaps even more powerful than rumored!
Patriarch Styx saw this scene and felt despair. He feared he would never have the chance to surpass this old monster.
Zhen Yuanzi was also astonished. Although Old Ancestor You Kan’s power was only at the twenty-second level of Da Luo, and even he could defeat him with some effort, this effortless and casual manner was truly unfathomable.
Tongtian, below, narrowed his eyes with great interest, but this was not the opportune moment to discuss Dao and seek guidance.
The Heavenly Emperor waved his hand, and the murmuring below was instantly silenced.
Di Jun said solemnly, “All you great powers and fellow Daoists, since our demon race was established, the Wu tribe has been our mortal enemy.
Now, we still follow the Ancestor of Dao’s ancient decree: demons rule the heavens, and witches rule the earth.
Our demon race does not demand, nor will we force any of you to exclusively support our race and oppose the Wu tribe in a ‘witch or demon’ dichotomy.
However, since you do not stand with our demon race, then maintain your neutrality. If you respect our Heavenly Court and demon race, then our Heavenly Court and demon race will acknowledge your dojos, sects, and spheres of influence.
If anyone dares to outwardly befriend our race while secretly colluding with the Wu tribe and harming our demon race, then their fate will be the same as Old Ancestor You Kan’s!”
The rogue cultivators trembled and respectfully agreed.
The great powers also nodded in assent.
Di Jun said to Bai Ze, “After the Demon Banquet concludes, Demon God Bai Ze, along with Ying Zhao, Gui Che, and Jiu Ying, three demon gods, and one hundred thousand demon soldiers, will arrest the Nine Nether Sect where You Kan resides. All disciples and followers below the Great Power realm will have restrictions planted on them and be demoted to servants.
Those disciples who are Great Powers will be apprehended and brought to justice, to be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison to await judgment!”
Bai Ze and the three demon gods respectfully stepped forward and bowed in obedience.
Di Jun surveyed the guests. Apart from a few supreme great powers, all others averted their gaze, not daring to compete with him in the slightest.
“Very well, everyone has been through quite a scare today. This Demon Banquet has concluded successfully. I wish all fellow Daoists a long and prosperous future!”
Everyone rose and bowed, “We all wish His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor eternal prestige!”
The great banquet of the demon race thus concluded successfully.
However, the Nine Nether Sect, a super sect of the Primordial World, ceased to exist, and the supreme great power, Old Ancestor You Kan, was suppressed beneath Jian Mu, never to rise again.
Old Ancestor You Kan, a great power at the twenty-second level, was teleported by Qing Ling to the Jian Mu region. Naturally, he was suppressed by the now thirty-one-level-high Jian Mu without any resistance, unable to fight back.
After all, even Ancestor Witch Houtu could not escape the suppression of Jian Mu back then, let alone him?